How to Install a WordPress Website: A Step-by-Step Guide

WordPress is a popular content management system that powers many of the websites you visit every day. It’s known for its ease of use, flexibility, and large community of users and developers. If you’re looking to create your own website, WordPress is a great choice. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to install WordPress on your hosting account, including a manual installation.

Step 1: Choose a Hosting Provider

Before you can install WordPress, you need to choose a hosting provider. Look for a provider that offers PHP version 7.4 or greater, MySQL version 5.6 or greater OR MariaDB version 10.1 or greater, and HTTPS support.

Step 2: Set Up Your Domain Name

Your domain name is your website’s address on the internet. Once you have your domain, point it to your hosting account’s DNS settings.

Step 3: Manually Install WordPress

If your hosting provider does not offer one-click installation, you can manually install WordPress. Here’s how:

1. Download WordPress: Go to WordPress.org and download the latest version of WordPress.
2. Upload WordPress to Your Hosting Account: Use an FTP client to upload the WordPress files to your hosting account.
3. Create a MySQL Database and User: Log in to your hosting control panel and create a new MySQL database and user. Make sure to note down the database name, username, and password.
4. Configure wp-config.php:
   • Rename the wp-config-sample.php file to wp-config.php.
   • Open wp-config.php in a text editor.
   • Fill in your database details in the following lines:
   • define(‘DB_NAME’, ‘wordpress’);
   • define(‘DB_USER’, ‘admin’);
   • define(‘DB_PASSWORD’, ‘admin’);
5. Run the Installation: Open a web browser and go to your domain. You should be greeted with the WordPress installation page. Follow the instructions to complete the installation.
6. Set Up Your Admin Account: During the installation, you’ll be asked to create an admin account. Choose a strong username and password.
7. Step 4: Choose a Theme and Plugins
8. After installing WordPress, log in to your admin dashboard to choose a theme and install plugins.
9. Step 5: Create Your Content
10. With WordPress installed, start creating content using the WordPress editor.
11. Step 6: Launch Your Website
12. After you’ve added content and customized your site, launch it by removing any ‘Coming Soon’ pages or plugins.